Egyptian Woman Whoops Society's Divorce Stigma via Online Radio

If you haven’t caught even the slightest glimpse of it in recent times, Egypt is pretty big when it comes to divorce; with a 2017 census citing Egyptian cities at a roughly 60.7% divorce rate, and villages at about 39.3%. Why? A heap of “totally valid” reasons really, but that’s not our issue today. With things looking as grim as they are, some folks try to do whatever they can with whatever they have to help others out. Mahasen Saber and the kind people behind Motalakat Radio are just one example, and a pretty happy one at that.

Motalakat Radio, an online radio station founded by the Sharqiya-based Mahasen, offers all manner of indispensable info and support to Egypt’s ever-growing female divorcée demographic; legal proceedings, raising awareness, psychological support and societal support, as well as info about women’s rights with regards to divorce, as well as keeping them in the know when it comes to any state-sanctioned services available to divorcées. “I have a strong background from my experience and readings that a woman has the legitimate religious right to get a divorce. It is normal. The problem is not about divorce itself, it is about what happens after divorce.” Mahasen told Africa News in an Interview.Seeing as it’s not exactly easy to get into the Egyptian radio scene, Mahasen runs her show from a local Internet café in Sharqiya, alongside her cohost, Mai Ali. It’s not just about divorced women though; Motalakat Radio also extend their support to married and single women, making sure to cater to all aspects of the Egyptian family, including husbands/fathers as well as children. Motalakat Radio has been such a prolific hit with audiences that it attracts contributors from far and wide; folks from Saudi Arabia all the way to Spain come on board to weight in.

If you find yourself in need of help, you know somebody who does, or if you’re just curious, check out their Website and Facebook page for more insights.